Has anyone else applied for any of the IT MS degrees at DSU for admission this year? I am annoyed that I have not heard back from them yet, but have heard back from all other schools. Note: I'm not sure why it modified my capitalization in the title of this thread.
Don't sweat it. I've applied for the D.Sc and they've stopped responding to my requests for an update on my candidacy. They've got a history of moving at their own speed and considering the popularity of their programs, they've got nothing to force them to anyone else's schedule. I'd expect we'll get a decision in July/August.
I can understand why it may take a bit longer for doctoral applicants, but why does it need to take so long for an MS applicant? It's absurd. My top choice had been DSU, although in another thread I was advised against the school. I still am very interested in DSU, but I do wonder if the other schools will wait that long for me to respond and indicate acceptance? What If I wait until August only to find out I don't get accepted into DSU? Will that be enough time to get registered and get financial aid into place at one of the institutions I have been accepted to? The other places to which I have been accepted send me letters or messages as if they assume I will be attending, even though in some cases I have not even responded. I just wonder if they will still be waiting in August! I am unsure how to respond to these potential schools.
DSU programs admission are very competitive due to low tuition. The DSc program at DSU has more reputation than Colorado Tech's and Capitol College's; besides, it is a good ROI program. Therefore, they have so many candidates/applicants.
Not knowing what the other schools are all I can say is this. I waited almost five months for acceptance into UMass. They had an admissions deadline of May 15 and I didn't know about anything until June 15th via post. I was able to ask admissions my status on June 10th and they were nice enough to tell me. I applied to DSU in late 2011 and was told up front by the grad office that I likely wouldn't hear back until late July or August, though I was hopeful that since their review of applications was May 15 that I'd hear back before then. The idea is this. People are admitted to DSU and then defer their acceptance for a year. Less of an issue with Masters and more of an issue with Doctoral work. If they have four spaces and three are filled with people who defer then they have to go through the process of taking in apps to find four people and wait until they know if the three who deferred are coming, then send out one acceptance. I'd assume the numbers are greater in the Masters programs but without knowing the deferral numbers I can't say that the process is any less painful for more spots, it may be more so.
I have been accepted to DSU. Now I need only decide which school to attend. DSU had been my top choice, but I may not necessarily go there. I wonder at the value of an MS in Information Assurance versus an MS in Computer Information Systems from a different school, such as Colorado State University or Tarleton State University. I have no professional experience in either field, and it seems to me that breaking into IA would be more difficult. Though I am really open to any position in IT; my MS is more to create opportunities for me.
You are right, breaking into iA or Information security is not easy. In fact, breaking into any advanced IT field is not easy either. I don't know what's your IT background, but personally I'd recommend getting experience in something like system administration, network engineering, programming, ..etc before jumping into InfoSec. This way, you will have a stronger foundation. Also, make a certification plan for yourself. For example, if you are a network engineer, get CCNA:security then CCSP then possibly CCIE:Security. Then later maybe a CISSP. MS will always be a great asset, and might help you land an opportunity in IA.
I have only really ever had one temp job in IT. I live in a small community, and there are not a lot of opportunities here. I am just hoping an MS would open opportunities for me in terms of any kind of IT position, be it entry level or whatever. It doesn't make any difference to me whether I work in IA or something else, so long as it is IT. Once I get some pertinent experience, I can work my way up to better position later. I did do the whole CCNA program, but at the time I did not understand the importance of certification, and neither I nor any of my classmates pursued certification. I would like to be a system administrator, but I really don't see that happening any time soon for me, not where I live, and I hope an MS will help in getting an employment opportunity. I figure that, at any rate, an IA MS is more specialized than a degree in CIS, which seems to be more of a generalist degree, a mixture of computer science from a nontechnical, business standpoint (though perhaps my perception is flawed). I just want an MS that will open doors for me in IT. I don't really care if it is in IA or any other part of IT.
Let me try to help you out here, before you spend money. 1. Move to a place where you can get an IT job. 2. Get experience in Help Desk (one year) or admin (to two years) 3. Pursue the MSIA in a specialty and get certified as well. 4. Change to your new role by moving jobs. The only thing you're going to do by getting a masters with no certifications and no experience is prepare yourself for a Doctoral degree and potential academic posts. No company wants a fresh student with no experience for a specialty field. If there are no IT jobs where you live and you want an IT job, you have to move. There's no other option there.
I am almost 30, and I don't really feel that if I wait any longer that it will work out for me. For various reasons, the time for me is now or never. Perhaps I would have been better off applying for DSU's doctoral CIS program, but what's done is done. I really do not have money to move any time soon, and I don't foresee that happening in the next year or two. My current job pays very little. I do not expect to jump into an advanced position with an MS. I would be thrilled to get even a help desk or administrator position that even paid $11 an hour. I do plan to get certifications, but now is not a great time financially for that, and I will need to revisit some of the CCNA material before I would be in shape to get certified. I do plan to get some certs while I am working on the MS part time, and so when I am done, then I hope to get any kind of IT job, though preferably closer to which ever degree I pursue. I just hope I make the right decision on which school to attend. I got offered $2000 in scholarship from Tarleton State for an MS in CIS.
Well Dibb - If I'm going to be honest with you based on what my thoughts are, you're already making a poor decision. No amount of education is going to make IT jobs appear in a market where there are no IT jobs. Additionally, if you're going to spend money, you're better off spending it to move to a market where there are IT jobs and then get one. Don't get me wrong, DSU is an amazing school and I'm waiting to hear back on admissions to their doctoral program so I get your point of view, but I've been working in IT for almost 20 years now and there's no way I'd be getting more than an undergrad right now if I was trying to break into the field. It's what most entry level managers will draw the line at.
Dlbb, I am going to echo ITJD’s recommendation and tell you my story briefly because it is somewhat similar to your own. I came to the Washington DC area 10 years ago before I turned 30. I did helpdesk work but my pay increased by 20K just by moving here. Ten years later I have more than doubled my starting pay and it is triple my wages in the Midwest. I could have done better if I had a college degree. In IT, experience trumps all. Someone who has built networks is preferred over someone who just has a degree in networking technology. Old school Unix or Fortran programmers are always working even though they may have degrees in psychology or history, if they even have degrees at all! One of our top Active Directory systems administrators studied English at a prestigious women’s college. If you don’t have the experience then a degree and certifications are helpful. If you don’t have a degree then your certifications will get you employed. I doubt that I smarter than you, but I did move to an area that afforded me the opportunity to work and gain experience on a decent livable salary. In order for you to move onward in your career you will have to work outside of your comfort zones.
..and to do Sauron the same kind turn; these are the areas you should move to. 1. DC Metro 2. Houston Metro. 3. California - San Diego metro. IT
Thanks for the advice. I have my heart set on getting a master's degree, and I don't want to delay it any further. I just don't know which program is best. I think I may have been better off applying for DSU's CIS master's program. Perhaps I should ask if I can switch, now that I have been admitted to the IA. Right now my main objective is in figuring out which school is best to attend. I do not have cash resources on hand to move. I can get student loans for my degree (or a small amount of scholarship, $2K, if I decide to go with Tarleton State). My path may not be ideal, but I want to get the formal education part of my life over with in the next ten years - whether it is a master's or even if I go onto doctoral studies or something else altogether. I think I will find a job in IT once I am part of the degree program or finish. If necessary, I will even dumb down my resume and omit reference to it (assuming by then I would have certifications in CCNA, etc.). Perhaps being part of an online MS program - not as a graduate in 2 or 3 years, but a student right now - might make me look more attractive for entry level IT jobs. I had hoped that I could get offered work study by one of the colleges. There is a place that would hire me if and only if I had work study, and give me necessary experience, if I had that. It's a small company that offers web hosting services, and it would involve some linux server administration and dealing with customers to resolve their issues. I was told Tarleton might give work study, by the financial aid office, but it sounded like a student aide I spoke with, and she didn't seem to know all that much. So I may have been subjected to misinformation. I know Colorado State told me they do not offer work study to distance students (discrimination), and when I wrote an questioned some higher up about it she said she was sure I could understand why. My undergrad alma mater did offer work study for distance degree students. Getting work study would be great, because it would essentially give me about 2 years of part time experience (the one thing I am missing) in IT, even though it would probably be only about 8-10 hours a week, which I would have to sync with my other job. Not pleasant, but that's life. Believe me I know how important experience is, and how desperately I need it. Though I wonder even if Tarleton were to offer me work study as well if I would be better off going to DSU anyway due to the lower tuition - and what I perceive to be higher quality education from DSU. I probably should contact DSU and inquire about work study. I have a lot to consider.
